Appliance for working tramway or railway points.



No. 680,007. Patented Aug. 6, I90I.

V W. J. STEWART. I

APPLIANCE FOR WORKING TRAMWAY 0B RAILWAY POINTS. I

(Application filed Apr. 16, 1901.)

Patented Aug. 6, IBM. W. J. STEWART.

APPLIANCE FOR WORKING TRANIWAY 0R RAILWAY POINTS.

(Appliqation filed Apr. 16, 1901.)

3 Sheets-ihaqt 3.

(No Model.)

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NITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LIAM JAMES STEWART, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO MARY ANNE STEWART, OF ARDMORE, SCOTLAND.

.PPLIANCE FOR WORKING TRAMWAY OR RAILWAY POINTS.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,007, dated August 6, 1901.

Application filed April 16 1901. Serial No. 56,135. (No model.)

whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, WILLIAM JAMES STEW- RT, commission merchant, a subject of the g of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resiof 82 Virginia street, Glasgow, Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Appliances for Working Tramway or Railway Points, (for which I have made application for a patent in Great Britain, No. 16,667, bearing date the 19th of September, 1900,) of which the followingis aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in appliances for working tramway or railway points, and has for its object the enabling of such points to be shifted or actuated from the car or other vehicle by the driver or conductor in a simple and efiicient manner without having to stop the vehicle.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevation of a tramway-rail, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the arrangement of the rails and points. Fig. 3 is a plan, to an enlarged scale, illustrating the point-shifting mechanism. Fig. 4: is a longitudinal section of the lower part of a vehicle, illustrating the arrangement of the appliances for actuating the points; while Fig. 5 is a plan of a detail.

In carrying into practice the improvements of my invention the rails a, carrying the points I), are formed with their grooves c gradually sloping to a level deeper than usual, as shown in Fig. 1, at the part where the Vance of same, so that the ordinary car-wheels may pass over without touching the shifting devices, and gradually sloping upward again till slightly above the ordinary level, as at d, where it falls again to the ordinary level beyond the point. As illustrated more particularly by Fig. 3, a narrow wedge-shaped tonguepiece 6 is pivoted by its narrow end to oscillate through a slot or in a recess f, formed in the inner side of the rail a, with its broad end or base 6 in its acting position lying across the groove 0. This tongue-piece e is jointed at b to the free end of the movable tongue 6 of the point, which is made deep enough to rest on the bottom of the groove 0.

point-tongue b is situated and a little in ad- Fitted in this way the tongue-piece 6 when pushed to one side will carry the point I) with it. Another tongue-piece is similarly fitted on the opposite rail when two movable points are fitted opposite each other, and the two 5 movable tongues b b are connected by the rod g, jointed to both. Covering-plates h and 'i, which may be in two parts and hinged, as shown, to lift up, or may be loose, are used to cover the tongue-pieces e, and these are shown on one rail as opened up and on the other as closed. A casing j incloses and covers the connecting-rod g.

' As illustrated by Fig. 4, horizontal levers k are mounted under the car-body Z, having their inner ends fulcrumed on brackets wt, preferably mounted on the axles n, or it may be on any other portion of the car. Vertical rods 0, depending from these levers it through guides 19, carry narrow pulleys or wheels at their lower ends, which run in the grooves c of the rails a. The outer ends of the levers may, if desired, be weighted or fittedwith reaction-springs (not shown in the drawings) and are jointed to vertical rods 7, passing up 75 through the floors of the drivers platforms 3 and guides s on same, where they are held in their higher or non-acting position by ratchets 25, formed with any desired number of teeth and pawls u or other like devices to be operated either by hand or foot. A toe or projection o is formed on the lower end of each rod 0 for the purpose of actuating the tongue-piece e and clearing the rail-groove, and wings w are formed above the toe for the purpose of throwing dirt or the like to each side of the rail, these wings being shown in the detail plan, Fig. 6. These actuating-toes, with wheels and levers, as described, may be fitted at one or both sides of the car and at one or both ends and may be worked from any part of the car by suitable appliances.

When it is desired to shift a point, on approaching same the driver releases the lever is from its connection with the ratchet t and 9 5 allows the rod 0 to descend, which causes the wheel q to descend into the depressed part of the groove 0 and the rod 0 or the toe o thereon to come into contact with the tonguepiece e to push it to one side, which action IOO carries over the point-tongue?!) along with it. When the wheel passes the point, itascends the grooves c to the point (1 slightly above the ordinary level and at the same time 5 pushes up the lever is and vertical rod 'r and looks it in position by the action of the pawl u and ratchet t.

Holes may be formed, as indicated at a; in i Fig. 2, leading fromthe groove 0 of the rails a to a drain below to allow water to escape, and

openings may be formed, as indicated'at yin Fig. 1, through the sides of the rails to allow the point-tongue b when moved to force any mud or fluid matter through these openings into a box below, (indicated in dotted lines,')

whence it can be periodically removed. Arched openings (indicated at z in Fig. 1 may be formed through the point-tongueb to enable it to move easily, though some mud may be deposited in the groove. Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl 1. In appliances for working tramway or 2 5 railwaypoints the combination with rails having specially-deepened grooves, and fitted with shifting tongue-pieces jointed to the point-tongues and connected by a tie-rod,'of actuating-rods with wheels on the vehicles suspended by rods from horizontal levers carried by vertical rods 25 held out of acting posi* tion by a ratchet and pawls substantially as .set forth.

2. In appliances for working tramway or railway points the combination comprising ism the s y bsent-11 7a set 6 forth. 3 p

3. In appliances for working tramway or railway points thecombination with shifting tongue-pieces jointed to the point-tongues, or the toe-piece o, with wheel q ,.the rodv 0, the lever hand the rod q fitted with ratchet-andpawl mechanism substantially as set forth.

4. In. appliances for working tramway or railway points, a rail having a deepened groove and a raised portion'd'in the groove, a point I) and a tongue-piece attached thereto, said tongue-piece extending within'the groove but a distance below the top of rail, in 'com'bi'n'ation'with a car, a wheel on the car adapted to travel in the groove and car rying means to move the tongue piece and ratchet-and-pawl mean-s to hold the wheelout of operative position upon the wheel striking the raised portion d of the groove, substantiallyas'described. I r 5. In appliances for tramway and railway points, a 'railhaving a deepened groove and a raised portion d in the groove, a wheel carried by the car and adapted to run in the groove and levers on the car to lift or lower the wheel, incombinationwith a pawl-andratchet means secured to the levers to hold the wheel in its raised positionupon its strikingtheraised portion of the groove d,substantial'l-y as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nameto this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. JAMES STEWART.

Witnesses:

R. C. THOMSON,

WM. RUTHERFORD.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 680,007.,

It is hereby certified that the residence of the assignee in Letters Patent No.

680,007, granted August 6, 1901, upon the application of William James Stewart, of

Glasgow, Scotland, for an improvement in Appliances for Working Tramway or Railway Points, was erroneously written and printed Ardmore, Scotland, whereas said residence should have been written and printed Ardmore, Gourock, Scotland and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 24th day of December, A. D., 1901.

[SEAL] F. L. CAMPBELL,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Gountersigned:

F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Patents. 

